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| So what if Miz isn't programmed against Orton all the time? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
if a wrestler gets “demoted” to the midcard, then the shit’s okay. It’s okay. That guy will still be on your television. He will still wrestle. It’s fine, for god’s sake.Pretty bold words for a guy on the Internet. For the longest time, many folks on the Web live and died by how high up on the card their favorite guys are. The thing is, how warranted is the concern? Again, it's well-established that what we as fans care about and what wrestlers care about sometimes are far different. We cry for CM Punk and Chris Jericho, but in those situations where we lament, they're celebrating because hey, they went out and did their jobs excellently.
The latest example, which is probably what elicited this post from WT, is The Miz's latest issue with his pupil, Alex Riley. Many people celebrated it as an entertaining segment, but there are those who are bemoaning this as a "demotion" for Miz, where he now will not be in the main event. Okay, while that may be the case, why should I care? The only reason is if it leads to Miz not being on camera, and I'm not talking "on camera as much as he was during the Cena feud", but I'm talking more a TNA-style "here one week, gone the next two" style of building an angle. If a demotion in card position means I get deprived of Miz, then I'm pissed.
However, what makes anyone think that the WWE is going to suddenly not have Miz on camera? I mean, does Miz being on screen, cutting promos and wrestling matches really matter if he's doing against Cena or Riley? The answer is no, really, unless it bothers you on a metaphysical level that he's not in the tippy-top feud. If that's the case, then again, I wonder why you're a fan. Wrestling is supposed to be an escape from the every day trappings of BS politics and such. It's one thing to hate on a segment because it's unentertaining, but if is enjoyable, then why look for a reason to hate it?
The truth is, The Miz, as well as CM Punk, as well as Jericho all have major job security and they're all locks to be on camera (in Jericho's case, if/when he returns), doing entertaining things. If it's against Cena and it's entertaining, then great. If it's against Riley, great again. Evan Bourne, Daniel Bryan, Sin Cara, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase... hell, even if it's against the Great fucking Khali and they somehow manage to get an entertaining segment out of him, then it's gravy too.
If a wrestler getting "demoted" means you see less of him, then there's a reason to get up in arms, but clearly, after a 180+ day title reign, countless pimping and exposure (to the point of overexposure to some), The Miz is not getting knocked down the card to the point where you're lucky if you see him on Superstars. He's a part of the big show, and will be for as long as the WWE will have him and vice versa.
Besides, with the way Miz has been booked against Cena, why would anyone want to see that kind of program continue? Then again, that's another post for another... oh wait, I already wrote about that this week. Seriously, I bet if you asked Miz what he thought about the last six or seven months he's had, he won't tell you that he's pissed because of the way he's been booked. He won't tell you he's mad at WWE for demoting him to possibly feuding with Alex Riley. No, and you know why? Because he's happy to be part of the WWE, have tons of airtime to go out there and perform and be the best he can be.
So yeah, in closing, I'd have to echo what WT said, and just be cool about everything. Unless Miz's knocking back means he's not going to be on TV, then it's nothing to get pissed off about. Not everyone can have the top program on the brand. Once you start doing that, you end up with TNA, where every program is pushed as the main event, making nothing feel all that important. Just take in the program as a show, and leave the politics to the guys backstage, okay?
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
You are dangerously close to saying that nothing matters...at...all in wrestling and have been flirting with that for a while. Every time people get upset with booking or whatever you responds with this or a similar argument.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but if it matters to people then it matters. It's not just about whether I still get to see the Miz perform. It's also about wanting to care about main event programs and programs involving the title. The crappy booking of the OTL match doesn't necessarily hurt the Miz, but it does hurt the product.
Sure, things matter. Integrity of titles matter. Entertainment matters. Great storytelling matters. Wins and losses matter, but not nearly as much some amongst the "smart" community think they do.
ReplyDeleteCard position doesn't really matter unless a demotion means less of seeing a guy you like.
Except it might, the Miz is more interesting (to me) as a guy who is trying everything in his power to hold on to a world title because it's the most important thing in the world to him. What's not interesting is SuperCena booking where he's apparently going to tie up the belt and the top of the card while squashing the hell out of people.
ReplyDeleteIf this is the case then why did you care about Christian winning the WHC? He's going to be on SD either way, so it really doesn't matter.
If card position doesn't matter, as WWE likes to book itself, then wrestling really needs to start justifying its existence ASAP. It's a fictionalization of competitive sport no matter how much Vince doesn't want to admit it, so by its very nature, card position needs to matter.
ReplyDeleteOne of the big reasons behind Jon Jones' ascension in UFC and the fandom behind it has to do with how quickly he rocketed up the card and how thoroughly he killed everybody on the way up. If card position doesn't matter, that's a booking tool taken away.
More importantly, if card position doesn't matter, that inherently means that wins and losses don't matter (because then what the hell are you fighting for? Pride?), and integrity of belts don't matter. If I don't perceive these things as mattering, it makes it much harder to get into new guys making their way up the ladder.
Hell, elements of Brock Lesnar's initial push cease to exist without card positioning. In ROH, Cole and O'Reilly's entire push comes from them, to use a euphemism, slapboxing with gods. ANX's ceases to exist without it as well. There are other examples.
There's a continuum here. If you're ultra entrenched as a top-line superstar, then card positioning doesn't matter as much. For others, card positioning is make or break. Without it, a lot of the meaning and reason for watching the shows goes away. Yes, we should lay off the criticism a bit, but it doesn't mean that it isn't warranted at times.
Honestly TH, everything that you say matters would matter far less if not for some type of rigid card positioning.
I'm not saying card position isn't important. However, in order for new stars to be created, guys have to "slum" it if you want a "smarky" explanation. But for me, if there's a story to tell, and it's compelling, that's WAY more important than worrying whether Miz is getting a demotion or not.
ReplyDeleteThis whole thing isn't about just the Miz though. It speaks to a weakness in WWE Creative's booking-style and I think it should trouble you more. People screaming about the Miz being buried are wrong, but you are just as wrong with these, "He'll be fine" type posts because that is missing the point.
ReplyDeleteClick on the "WWE Creative Sucks" tag. There are 63 posts detailing how much I think they do wrong. I don't think I miss the point on criticizing them at all, to be honest.
ReplyDelete